Internet Research
Websites that have low visual complexity and a high degree of prototypicality (how representative a site design looks for a certain category of industry) were perceived in a recent study as being highly appealing.
Customers expect a site to be compatible, to fall within the visual and content guidelines of what leading sites within that category look like. Therefore, your web design should be simple and familiar, and generally follow the conventions and best practices within your field. As an example, research clearly shows that people have a fixed idea of what a dependable, appealing e-commerce site should look like.
It takes only 2.6 seconds for a site visitor's eyes to settle on the key areas of a web page that most influence their first impression. Researchers monitored visitor's eye movements as they scanned web pages, and then they analyzed eye-tracking data to determine how long it took to focus on specific sections of a web page-for example, the logo, menu, images, and social media icons-before they looked at another section.
They discovered that the better the first impression, the longer the participants stayed on the page. High-value site elements were: the logo, navigation menu, main image, search box, and contents "above the fold" (the first third of the site).
In site research findings, only 6% of the feedback was about the actual content. Visual appeal and website navigation were the major influence on first impressions of the site. And poor interface design was associated with rapid rejection of a website- when participants did not like an aspect of the design, the website was rarely explored beyond the homepage.
These organizations provide information on a wide range of Internet-related issues, including website usage statistics, search engine trends, industry traffic patterns, design considerations, site security, and software updates. Staying ahead of the curve on news and emerging trends is vital for executives who influence their company's digital and communications strategy.
Comscore
This leader in global Internet data provides statistics on top sites, search engine market share, ad rankings, and more.
Forrester Research
A leading source of research and marketing data, consumer trends information, and technical and marketing analyst's insights.
Pew Internet
The high profile American Life Project offers key information on demographics and site usage, as well as emerging trends.
Nielsen.com
Nielsen's comprehensive online measurement methods analyze consumer behavior and trends, advertising effectiveness, and social media trends.
Search Engine Watch
Statistics such as top global web properties ranked by unique visitors, search engine ratings and reviews, ad placement by industry, and helpful tutorials.
Google Analytics
Resources for determining ROI, and for tracking keywords and online campaign statistics from multiple referral sources.
Global Stat Counter
Statistics and news on global Internet usage and devices.
Security fact: Ecommerce websites using a payment gateway for online payments need to be hosted in a PCI (Payment Card Industry) compliant environment. We can help you understand PCI Compliance and your role in conforming to the DSS (Data Security Standards).
Silicon Valley
An insider's view of the high-tech economy, including news, legislation affecting the industry, and product innovations.
ClickZ
A hub for interactive marketing news, commentary, research, and reference on topics from search engines to e-mail, technology and trends.
PC Magazine
From Ziff Davis Media, a perennial favorite with product reviews, software and hardware news, and helpful information for both home and work computing.
CNET
Technical product reviews, online courses and newsletters, and equipment cost comparisons.
Influencer marketing (also called influence marketing) traditionally involves the type of promotion where a well known person endorses a product or service. Once done primarily through paid sponsorships, such as a basketball player promoting a brand of sneakers, it has expanded in definition and scope to include a wide spectrum of brand advocates. Bloggers, trend leaders, social-media celebrities, information aggregators, and even YouTube sensations are a few examples of "micro-influencers" as brand evangelists.
Whether paid or unpaid, there are several things these influencers have in common: they have a loyal following, substantial credibility with their audience, and are often seen as an expert in their field or area of interest. They're also early adopters of new products, and have a high level of enthusiasm and ongoing involvement with their communities. Companies can utilize influencer marketing to establish name recognition and credibility, to create social media buzz around their product, and to drive online sales.
Marketing with influencers can be a means of amplifying a company's message in an otherwise crowded marketplace. Conducting marketing efforts with these brand advocates can take many forms. For instance, a company can provide content on the influencer's site (as an example, a restaurant can provide a recipe on a popular cooking blog). Many co-sponsorship opportunities abound as well. The process of working with influencers begins with identifying them, and evaluating their audience to determine if it is an optimum fit with your product. One of the best sources for finding influencers might be among your current customer base.
Chatbot technology uses instant messaging to chat in real-time with your customers and site visitors. Customers who prefer interacting with chatbots say they are responsive 24/7, they give answers promptly, recall details like buying history, and function as virtual assistants offering outstanding customer service.
Many brands are successfully using chatbot technology, such as Whole Foods Market, Sephora, Staples, and The Wall Street Journal. They have found that chatbots are meeting customers' expectations, and are also automating repetitive tasks so that companies can focus on their core business activities.
Surveys indicate that top benefits of chatbots include that 24-hour/365 day a year accessibility (64%), and receiving instant responses both to inquiries and simple questions (55%). By 2022, it is estimated that chatbots can help organizations save over $8 billion a year.
Programmatic advertising means using AI (artificial intelligence) to automate ad buying in order to target highly specific audiences. (For example, real time bidding is one type of programmatic ad buying.) But this automation using AI can offer more efficiency and speed, which may translate into higher conversions and lower costs for customer acquisition.
"Most search-driven manual advertising campaigns (even those performed with professional tools) take into account three or four targets, such as the keyword, time of day, and location. Tools like programmatic demand-side platforms can use hundreds of targeting signals to individualize the advertisement and even target according to lifestyle or behavior habits when integrated with customer data platforms," said Irina Kovalenko of SmartyAds
Responsive websites can adapt to all screen sizes and resolutions, not just on a desktop but also on a mobile device or tablet. Great design is about offering a seamless experience on any device. Since different web browsers render web pages in different ways, websites need to be thoroughly tested to ensure that they're compatible with a range of both desktop and mobile web browsers.
Yet responsive design isn't simply about "making everything fit" -it's also about taking into consideration and designing in line with the capabilities of the device hardware, and the device resolution along with the browsers. When creating a site or redoing an existing site, adopting a mobile-first approach to responsive web design helps designers evaluate what's essential in order for clients to achieve their marketing goals.
Delivering an outstanding visitor experience means providing excellent functionality and site architecture, a process that begins with the right framework and a thorough comprehension of your audience. By understanding your visitor's interest we can tailor site navigation and design features to yield a streamlined flow that is both familiar and comfortable, resulting in more page views and longer session duration.
The way content is displayed is also a primary mobile consideration since it will render quite differently on a mobile device than on a desktop or laptop computer. What looks good on a desktop can instantly become a jumble of words and images when converted to a mobile platform. Therefore, spacing, fonts, images, menus, and user interfaces need to be properly scaled without compromising the message and the calls to action of your site. Optimizing image sizes and content download time is likewise an important consideration of ours as mobile users are less liable to tolerate slow loading sites than desktop computer users.
Compiling statistics for mobile devices is a challenge due to the number of different devices and operating system versions in use, compounded by the way they report or allow data to be collected. As a result, mobile metrics and stats can vary greatly depending on the market segment and who conducts the research along with how it is validated and aggregated. For example, mobile shopping behavior is generally going to be different between a site like Amazon.com where users are likely to arrive by means of a broader product search than it would be for a small local retailer that is usually reached by direct entry.
Nevertheless, even if we can't completely depend on the accuracy of the numbers provided, we can draw certain conclusions by taking an overview of data and surveys from trusted sources and using them to understand current trends and in developing a set of best practice standards that enhance both mobile and desktop site experiences for your audience.
Social media is one of the most widely used activities on smartphones. Integrating a social presence into your website can enhance your brand through additional interaction with users and better engage them with more personalized communication including posting of timely information like specials or sales.
Even though smartphones account for the majority of social media use, social media integration is equally important for desktop sites where users are likely to spend more time reviewing content. One place this is clearly evident is with online shopping where visitors often augment their mobile viewing by using their desktop or laptop later for a more detailed review and purchasing. This is one reason why retail mobile conversion rates are generally lower than desktop conversions while the breakdown of traffic statistics tends to be typically equal between the two.
It's vital to get and keep your audience's attention, and so important to make a good first impression.
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Media Coast |
Media Coast is a full-service digital marketing agency helping great companies increase revenue and elevate their brand. Growth happens when all aspects of a digital strategy work in harmony, and we bring that collaboration and time-tested experience to work for you.
